operation

[op-uh-rey-shuh n] /ˌɒp əˈreɪ ʃən/
noun
1.
an act or instance, process, or manner of functioning or operating.
2.
the state of being operative (usually preceded by in or into):
a rule no longer in operation.
3.
the power to act; efficacy, influence, or force.
4.
the exertion of force, power, or influence; agency:
the operation of alcohol on the mind.
5.
a process of a practical or mechanical nature in some form of work or production:
a delicate operation in watchmaking.
6.
a course or procedure of productive or industrial activity:
building operations.
7.
a particular process or course:
mental operations.
8.
a business transaction, especially one of a speculative nature; deal:
a shady operation.
9.
a business, especially one run on a large scale:
a multinational operation.
10.
Surgery. a procedure aimed at restoring or improving the health of a patient, as by correcting a malformation, removing diseased parts, implanting new parts, etc.
11.
Mathematics.
  1. a mathematical process, as addition, multiplication, or differentiation.
  2. the action of applying a mathematical process to a quantity or quantities.
12.
Military.
  1. a campaign, mission, maneuver, or action.
  2. Usually, operations. the conduct of a campaign, mission, etc.
  3. operations, a headquarters, office, or place from which a military campaign, air traffic to and from an airfield, or any of various other activities, is planned, conducted, and controlled.
  4. operations, the people who work at such a headquarters.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English operacioun < Latin operātiōn- (stem of operātiō), equivalent to operāt(us) (see operate) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
misoperation, noun
preoperation, noun
reoperation, noun
suboperation, noun
Examples from the web for operation
  • For instance, many surgical devices may be removed from packaging, but not used in an operation.
  • The natural movement and silent operation will hopefully make it undetectable.
  • It was, in the annals of terrorism, an exquisitely choreographed operation.
  • About two months ago he had an infection and this involved an operation and hospital stay.
  • Party spokesmen refuse to describe her illness, apart from saying that she left intensive care after an operation.
  • Scene from footage of a drug smuggling operation in a parking lot.
  • Here are a few pictures of the test kitchen in operation.
  • The operation itself was the culmination of years of careful and highly advanced intelligence work.
  • Develops processes and procedures for operation of grant in compliance with terms of grant.
  • The plane could potentially be ready within two years and ready for operation in three.
British Dictionary definitions for operation

operation

/ˌɒpəˈreɪʃən/
noun
1.
the act, process, or manner of operating
2.
the state of being in effect, in action, or operative (esp in the phrases in or into operation)
3.
a process, method, or series of acts, esp of a practical or mechanical nature
4.
(surgery) any manipulation of the body or one of its organs or parts to repair damage, arrest the progress of a disease, remove foreign matter, etc
5.
  1. a military or naval action, such as a campaign, manoeuvre, etc
  2. (capital and prenominal when part of a name): Operation Crossbow
6.
(maths)
  1. any procedure, such as addition, multiplication, involution, or differentiation, in which one or more numbers or quantities are operated upon according to specific rules
  2. a function from a set onto itself
7.
a commercial or financial transaction
Word Origin and History for operation
n.

late 14c., "action, performance, work," also "the performance of some science or art," from Old French operacion "operation, working, proceedings," from Latin operationem (nominative operatio) "a working, operation," from past participle stem of operari "to work, labor" (in Late Latin "to have effect, be active, cause"), from opera "work, effort," related to opus (genitive operis) "a work" (see opus). The surgical sense is first attested 1590s. Military sense of "series of movements and acts" is from 1749.

operation in Medicine

operation op·er·a·tion (ŏp'ə-rā'shən)
n.

  1. A surgical procedure, usually using instruments, for remedying an injury, an ailment, a defect, or a dysfunction.

  2. The act, manner, or process of functioning.

operation in Science
operation
  (ŏp'ə-rā'shən)   

  1. Medicine A surgical procedure for remedying an injury, ailment, defect, or dysfunction.

  2. Mathematics A process or action, such as addition, substitution, transposition, or differentiation, performed in a specified sequence and in accordance with specific rules.

  3. A logical operation.

  4. Computer Science An action resulting from a single instruction.